The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Since the weather has cooled off here in NC, I decided to pull out and inventory all my phonos. I knew I had a lot, but I really must be crazy.. final total was 308!!! Now, I know you are wondering where I put that many. Well the house has at least 3 in every room, the garage is full, the FROG is full, and there are several buildings in the back that are full..!! Most of my collection are cabinet models, only about 10% are horn models. While I; like many others have run of the mill machines, I do have many rare and unusual ones as well. I hope that I'm not the only one crazy enough to have this vast a collection. The pics represent only a fraction of what is here... I would be curious to know if anybody has as many as I do. Then maybe I won't feel so bad :} Ed

Wowza! I would like to take a tour of your house! And to think my coworkers tease me for buying 8 in the last few months....

I'm with Moxie on this one... I'd love to tour your collection.

It does beg the question about how one insures a collection that large? How does one even determine value of a collection of that size?

Further, who has the dubious honor of having to dust them, and clean around them?

Great. I thought I had a large collection but small potatos compared to yours. I only have 54 or so machines, most of them covered up for the last 20+ years and like you many sitting around. I think I have 13 or so horned machines. I've forgotten what makes/models I actually have. Keep up the good work..

I probably have the smallest collection - 8 machines, distributed between my house and my cabin - but I'll bet I have one of the most-used and most enjoyed collections!

My machines are more for the music than for the machines. That said, I'd love to tour your museum!

Are those crappaphones I see in the 3rd picture?

Tinkerbell wrote:Further, who has the dubious honor of having to dust them, and clean around them?

Hmmmm....whoever they are, they seem to be slacking a bit with the ones in the 2nd pic.

Nat wrote:I probably have the smallest collection - 8 machines,

I think I may have you beat depending how you count my machines.

5 up and running (sold #6 this past spring) (VV-XVI, VTLA, Vic 1, Vic M, Vic P3), plus 2 projects (VV-XII, VV-IV), and one 1 I hope to find parts for (a fumed oak table top VV-XI...anyone have a spare horn for a tabletop XI?).

As you can tell nobody has dusted these for quite awhile!! These are in what used to be my "Museum" in the back yard. After years of filling it up this is what happens. The 2 crapophones I bought in a "lot" of those and several good phonos at an auction years ago to practice my horn painting skills. They have also been used when I taught school to demonstrate to the kids the acoustic sound without them damaging my VictorVI or Edison Home. Keep in mind I have 30 plus min the house that I play constantly. There are a 100 or so un photographed in the garage, frog, and out buildings!! As Patsy Cline sang...."CRAZY"

I only have 8 too, Nat. Granted, I have been averaging a phonograph purchase every other week so that number may climb quickly.

The biggest phonograph collection (and so much more) ANYWHERE has to be that of Jasper Sanfilippo. He opens his house to the public for self-guided tours the same weekend as the swap meet in Union, Illinois. Trust me, no one is ever prepared for what they will see there - it defies adequate description. If you had a few hundred million to spend building a collection, this is what it would look like! It is the Mecca of phonographs (and all other forms of mechanical music) and everyone should make a pilgrimage to see it at least once.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_de_la_Musique

http://www.placedelamusique.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6s7lNXQ-Wo

VintageTechnologies wrote:The biggest phonograph collection (and so much more) ANYWHERE has to be that of Jasper Sanfilippo. He opens his house to the public for self-guided tours the same weekend as the swap meet in Union, Illinois. Trust me, no one is ever prepared for what they will see there - it defies adequate description. If you had a few hundred million to spend building a collection, this is what it would look like! It is the Mecca of phonographs (and all other forms of mechanical music) and everyone should make a pilgrimage to see it at least once.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_de_la_Musique

http://www.placedelamusique.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6s7lNXQ-Wo

This would make it very worth the 6hr ride.